The present invention is directed to a safety device for inhibiting access to an electrical outlet.
The need to cover exposed electrical outlets as a precaution against injury to small children is readily apparent. A simple form of protection is provided by commonly available covers that consist of a small plate of plastic having a shape similar to that of a socket and a pair of laterally projecting prongs that are similar to the prongs on an electrical plug and that fit into the openings in the socket to hold the cover in place. While this type of cover provides some form of protection, it is practically effective only against the smallest of children. Since it can be removed by simply pulling it away from the receptacle, children as young as one year old who have the physical dexterity to grasp the cover can easily remove it.
Accordingly, more sophisticated safety devices have been developed to protect children who have some degree of physical strength or dexterity but who are not old enough to appreciate the dangers associated with electrical receptacles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,526,606 discloses a protective hood that snaps on to a special base plate. The hood engages the base plate by means of ears provided with hook portions, and removal of the hood is accomplished by flexing one of its two longitudinal edges inwardly to disengage the hooks on the hood from the base plate. The patent discloses that the hood is made of sufficiently strong material so that the pressure required to release it cannot be exerted by the average small child. In other words, the effectiveness of this device in limiting the child's access to the receptacle is dependent upon the child's physical strength. While the average small child may not be able to flex the hood inwardly with his hand, it will be appreciated that he may be able to strike the hood, using a toy or other implement, with sufficient force to disengage it from the base plate. Accordingly, protective devices that rely merely upon a child's limited strength may not be effective in all situations.
Another approach to the protection of children from electrical outlets has been to de-energize the outlet when it is exposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,439,708 discloses an electrical outlet with a hinged cover box having arms attached thereto which cooperate with a switch that connects the electrical lead wires to the contacts of the outlet. In operation, when the cover box is in a closed position (which prevents access to the outlets), the contacts are energized. However, as soon as the cover box is unlatched and swung away from the receptacle, to expose the outlets, the contacts become de-energized.
While it will be appreciated that this feature of turning the power off when the socket is exposed may be somewhat more effective than the approaches which merely limit physical access to the outlet, it is also rather complex and hence costly to implement. Furthermore, repeated opening and closing of the cover box will subject the various components to wear, eventually requiring repair or replacement of the entire receptacle. As such, this type of approach is not subject to widespread commercial acceptance.